Rhode Island § 5-49-2 - Hearing Aid Dealers and Fitters

§ 5-49-2. License required to sell or fit hearing aids.

(a) No person shall engage in the dispensing, selling, fitting, or ordering the use of hearing aids, or display a sign, or in any other way advertise or represent themself as a person who practices the fitting and sale of hearing aids after August 1, 1973, unless he or she holds an unsuspended, unrevoked license issued by the department as provided in this chapter.

(b) The license shall be conspicuously posted in his or her office or place of business. Duplicate licenses shall be issued by the department to valid license holders operating more than one office without additional payment.

(c) A license under this chapter shall confer upon the holder the right to order the use of, select, fit, and sell hearing aids.

(d) Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit a corporation, partnership, trust, association, or other organization maintaining an established business address, from selling or offering for sale hearing aids at retail without a license; provided, that it employs only properly licensed natural persons in the direct sale, ordering the use, and fitting of those products.

(e) Those corporations, partnerships, trusts, associations, or other organizations shall file annually with the board a list of all licensed hearing aid dealers and fitters directly or indirectly employed by it.

(f) Those organizations shall also file with the board a statement, on a form approved by the board, that they submit themselves to the rules and regulations of the department and the provisions of this chapter which the department deems applicable to them.